Semiconductor devices are used in a variety of electronic applications, such as personal computers, cell phones, digital cameras, and other electronic equipment, for example. Semiconductor devices are typically fabricated by sequentially depositing insulating, dielectric, conductive, and/or semiconductive layers of material over a semiconductor substrate. Patterning of the various material layers forms circuit elements and components thereon.
Conductive materials are used in semiconductor devices for making electrical connections for the integrated circuits. As semiconductor device size is reduced, diffusion between the conductive material layers and other material layers introduces undesirable signal responses in dielectric, insulating, and/or other layers.